Rustom & the Last Storyteller of Almora | April 2015

Dear Friend,

Trust this blog finds you in the best of health and circumstances. I have a couple of quick things to share.

The First Thing: A big thank you for your support every day since this blog started back in 2006. Even though updates here over the years are now as infrequent as old friends you only run into every now and then, even if the blog has moved from standing for something today and something else tomorrow, and the words here border dangerously on being narcissist more often than not– you have hung on. You have supported me. You have calmed me down when life threw my mind around. More importantly, you have let the words be themselves when I had to deal with unimaginable loss.

Through this blog, I made the most wonderful life-long friends. We celebrated amazing times and grieved when life was not kind. This, nothing can change. And above everything else, every single one of you have inspired me.

Thank you. Thank you. I can’t say it enough, but let’s do this once more before ending this short note. Thank you my dear friend!

Yes, the second thing I mentioned. Listen, a few years ago as this blog grew and I grew with it through a better understanding of myself and the world around me, I started work on a then unnamed project with some simple ideas in my head. The plan was to try create something that misfits like you and I will enjoy. A story not about falling in love for that has been done before by better writers.  A story not about an MBA or an Engineer or both combined finding their way through life, for again I may not have the skills to pull it off. A story not based on myth or ancient tales as I had nothing new to offer. No vampires, for they are primarily based out of LA and only drop into Italy to catch up with the Volturi. No fifty shades of gray or 31 shades of Baskin Robbins.

All I wanted to do was to write a story that may take the reader back to those glory days of our childhood when each family had crazy storytellers whose words would pull you down in your seats and take you away on journeys, usually beginning with the word Listen…

A story that will be a wreck. A breaker of rules. A quirky, dark and light tribute to real magic, and the fake tricks that all of us pull off. A story based on a simple idea, like how far a bad man will go to set things right?

And then the damn thing took a life of its own. Dozens of drafts, hundreds of thousands of words written, rewritten, deleted later – the story I wrote found a home at Hachette India, who seemed as excited about taking it to a wider audience as I am. When the Hachette group, whose imprints represent the works of my favorite writers from Stephen King, Mitch Albom, John Grisham, JK Rowling, Enid Blyton and so many others said, “Gaurav, you young looking middle aged man, how about sharing this tale with the rest of the world?’ I just replied with where should I sign?

And yes, that’s the second thing. My debut novel, Rustom and the Last Storyteller of Almora will hit the stores in April 2015.

It’s been the hardest last few months. I lost my father Col Ullhas Parab, and if is absence was not gut wrenching enough I now live every day carrying the weight of not letting him read my book.

Then again, it’s been the most exciting last few months as the beast has taken its shape. While I don’t want to reveal what the book is about, I can share that it’s a about a man, a drifter and a coward who is forced to do a very brave thing.

This book is I hope about every reader of this blog. After all, deep down don’t we all yearn to do good?

I believe you will find it interesting. There is no elegant way to say it, but let me try. BUY THE DAMN BOOK.

After all, who would you rather like to have known all these years?  A guy who wrote an awesome book? Or a guy who wrote a bestselling awesome book. BUY Rustom and the Last Storyteller of Almora and ask your friends to do the same. Watch this space for more details in the days to come. And one last time, thanks again.

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